Humphreys gets ready for NCAA regional

Brian Humphreys is living his dream of playing college golf.

On Monday, May 15, the Boise State University freshman from Washougal will tee off in his first NCAA Regional at the par-70, 6,727-yard Stanford Golf Course, in Stanford, California.

“My coach said it’s a great golf course for me and a great golf course overall,” Humphreys said. “It would be awesome to move on to nationals. The easiest way is to be the top individual.

“I know that’s a high expectation,” he added. “The field is going to be a lot tougher, but all you can hope for is to play your best and come out on top.”

Humphreys is playing his best golf when it counts.

The 2016 Camas High School graduate became the first freshman to win the Mountain West Championships April 23, in Tucson, Arizona. He shot 12-under on the par-72 Catalina Course at the Omni Tucson National Resort.

“I was hoping for something special. This caught me by surprise,” Humphreys said. “I got to play with some fantastic players, but I hung with them.

“I was striking the ball well in practice, but just hadn’t carried it over into the tournaments,” he added. “It’s the perfect time for my game to come together.”

Humphreys fired rounds of 67, 68 and 69 to win the tournament by two strokes. He took sole-possession of the lead after the second round, and held off teammate Donny Hopoi with birdies on the 16th and 18th holes.

“The most satisfying thing about going under par is how I finished all the rounds. I finished them strong,” Humphreys said. “The 18th hole was really tough. You really had to be there mentally.

“You’re out there in the Arizona heat. It’s like 100 degrees, and you still have that one last test,” he added.

Humphreys birdied 18 all three days.

“That was really satisfying,” he said.

The tournament started off like a dream for Humphreys. He birdied the first hole and eagled the second.

“You can’t really get off to a better start than that,” he said.

Humphreys was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year. He captured his first medalist honor at the Ogio Utah Invitational (Oct. 3 and 4, 2016) and his second victory at the Del Walker Intercollegiate (Feb. 27 and 28). In addition to his three victories, Humphreys tied for second at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational (Oct. 27 and 28, 2016) and finished third at the Folino Invitational (Jan. 30 and 31). He is averaging 72.03 strokes per round in his debut campaign.

“Just being around a group of guys who play consistently at a high level challenges you every day,” Humphreys said. “I’ve always had a dream of playing college golf. Now that it’s actually happening, all the challenges seem like minor hurdles because you’re so happy to be doing this.”